The Workplace Relations Commission found Giorgio Romano’s unfair dismissal complaint against Avoca t/a Avoca Handweavers Ltd. well founded and awarded him €40,000. The decision is dated 1 May 2026.
Romano, a head chef employed since 2007, was dismissed after inaccurate chilling records were submitted for two food batches. He admitted that he had not taken the temperatures and that the records were inaccurate. Avoca maintained the dismissal for gross misconduct was justified and that its procedures were fair.
The adjudication officer found Romano was not properly notified that gross misconduct was at issue. The officer also found that the disciplinary process did not adequately examine his mitigation and that CCTV was used without evidence employees had been notified of its use for disciplinary purposes. A sanction short of dismissal should have been applied, although Romano contributed to the dismissal by not reporting the error; that responsibility was reflected in the compensation.